30g Cichlid Stocking

[thereverendturtle]

Looking good. I think that's the perfect amount of rock. Once you get some wood and plants in there it will look very full. I have small powerheads in most of my aquariums, the added circulation adds more oxygen and keeps detritus stirred up for the filter to remove.

 

[RyanV]

What plants do you recommend? (only 1w per gallon) I wasn't planning on it because I thought cichlids uproot them? What size powerhead (200gph, 400gph?)

 

[thereverendturtle]

Dwarf cichlids tend to do best with plants. At 1 wpg swords, cryptocoryne, anubias, moss and java fern will all do well. Or plastic, if you prefer, the fish don't care.
A 200 gph would be all you'd need. I would use a maxi-jet 600.

 

[RyanV]

Thanks! Here is another update. Not had any luck finding wood I like yet.

 

[thereverendturtle]

Are those java fern? If so they need to be attached to a rock or the wood when you find it. They will rot and die if planted in the substrate. The best thing I've found to use is black or green cotton thread. Just wrap it loosely around the roots and the rock/wood to hold the plant in place until the roots cling on. Eventually the thread rots away, without any problems.

 

[RyanV]

It is, I will do that! Thanks!

 

[RyanV]

Found some wood

Both pieces on the ends the fish can actually swim under it so I liked them.

After getting this all set up though I looked at it for a while and realized that the store gave me broad leaf java fern not amazon swords that I asked for

No idea why I didn't notice this before.

 

[thereverendturtle]

Attach java to the wood, it will slowly cover it and looks nice.

 

[RyanV]

Okay today I got all the rest of the java fern on the wood. And added an amazon sword

 

[thereverendturtle]

You're going to have some very happy fish.